Veterans resurrect cross in Mojave Desert

A CROSS HONORING WAR DEAD IS NOW BACK UP IN THE MOJAVE DESERT -- AFTER YEARS OF CONTROVERSY.

MOJAVE DESERT, Calif. -

A war memorial cross that once stood on federal land in the Mojave Desert before being deemed unconstitutional and ordered removed was restored in a Veterans Day ceremony Sunday.

A settlement approved by a federal judge in April allowed the National Park Service to turn over the acre on which the original 1934 cross stood to veterans groups in exchange for five acres donated by Henry and Wanda Sandoz.

She says, "It was just really wonderful to look up there and see it again."

In 2010, the cross - which had been covered up for years to comply with court injunctions - was stolen, and only recently turned up tied to a fencepost in the San Francisco Bay area.

Veterans decided to start fresh and dedicated a 7-foot steel replacement Sunday in a ceremony attended by more than 150 people.

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